


That's my Girl

by Em_Jaye



Series: Good Madness [10]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bakery, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Parenting Feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-10
Updated: 2018-09-10
Packaged: 2019-07-10 16:27:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,607
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15953156
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Em_Jaye/pseuds/Em_Jaye
Summary: "May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness"-Neil GaimanAugust





	That's my Girl

**Author's Note:**

> This is really, very much overdue but August for me involved a lot of little breakdowns and madness and this is the best I could do.
> 
> Trying to get back on track for September.

The second Saturday in August wasn’t supposed to be quite so eventful. It certainly hadn’t started out that way. Darcy had woken up early and roused a plaintive Charlotte from her sleep to accompany her to the bakery while Steve caught the early train to Philadelphia to meet with a client.

“Come on, Peanut,” she said with a smile as she shuffled Charlotte out the door just after four. “You can sleep on the bus if you want.”

Charlotte frowned, her eyes barely open. “How come bakers have to get up so early?” she asked, her voice crackling with sleep. “Your stuff tastes just as good when you get to sleep in.”

Darcy locked the door behind them and smiled when Charlotte automatically took her hand for their walk to the bus stop. “We get up early because we want to make sure everything’s ready for when the rest of the city wakes up.”

Charlotte wasn’t impressed. “That’s not fair,” she decided. “They should just wait and let us wake up at a normal time.”

“They should,” Darcy agreed with a grin. “But they won’t, so we’ve gotta get our bake on if we want to pay the bills.”

“Darcy?” Charlotte asked after a few minutes of contemplative silence while they waited for the bus. “Do you like living with us?”

Darcy glanced down, surprised by the question for a moment before she smiled. “Of course, I do,” she said seriously. “It’s much more fun than living alone.”

The little girl looked dubious. “Really?” she asked with a wary eyebrow raised. “You’re not just saying that?”

“Definitely not,” she assured her.

And she was telling the truth. She’d only officially been calling Steve’s house home for three weeks by the time the question was posed, but the transition had been surprisingly easy. They had too many dishes now, mismatched armchairs and a couch that was living in the basement until they could find someone who wanted it, duplicate copies of books and movies and sets of queen-sized sheets that didn’t fit Steve’s king-sized bed, but nothing that a few trips to Goodwill couldn’t fix.

Darcy had forgotten how nice it was to have people waiting for her when she go home. Hadn’t realized much better she slept when she could tuck herself under Steve’s chin every night instead of just on the weekends. And she hadn’t realized how nice it would be to be able to see Charlotte every night and hear about what she did all day.

Charlotte seemed satisfied with her answer. She didn’t say much more until they got on the bus and she slumped fast asleep against Darcy’s side.

Alysha and Mina were already hard at work by the time Darcy unlocked the door and herded Charlotte in ahead of her. Mina’s small frame was tucked almost entirely into the main refrigerator and she waved Darcy over immediately. “This is clicking again,” she stated before extracting herself from beneath the shelves. She straightened and caught sight of Charlotte, her frown melting almost immediately. “I didn’t know we had company today.”

Charlotte leaned against Darcy’s hip and offered a wave and another yawn. Darcy ruffled her hair affectionately. “If it’s clicking then we have to thaw it tonight,” she stated with a sigh. “We can drain it on Tuesday morning and I’ll try to get a service guy out here next week.” She followed Mina’s amused gaze to see that Charlotte’s eyes had started to close again and she was dangerously close to falling asleep standing up. Darcy gave her a nudge. “Hey, you,” she said with a smile and offered her keys. “Go catch a few more z’s on the chair in my office.”

But Charlotte shook her head stubbornly. “I’m okay,” she insisted. “I want to work with Alysha.”

Hearing her name, Alysha perked up from the counter where she was laminating dough and grinned. “I’m not going anywhere, Sugarpop,” she promised. “You rest up a little more and then I’ll put you to work.”

Darcy tilted her head to one side and squinted at the choice of music. “Is this Fiona Apple?”

Alysha nodded, her eyes wide and serious. “Alanis Morrisette Pandora. It has been banger. After. Banger. All damn morning. I outright refuse to change the station.”

She laughed and put a hand on Charlotte’s shoulders, steering her back to the office.

“How come everyone calls me food?” Charlotte asked as Darcy unlocked the other door.

She laughed. “What?”

“You call me Peanut,” Charlotte continued, following her inside. “And Alysha calls me Sugarpop. And last time I was here, Jamie called me a cinnamon roll.” She dropped into the threadbare armchair and turned her puzzled expression to Darcy. “What’s with the food names?”

Darcy laughed again. “Occupational hazard, I guess,” she said with a shrug. “Does it bother you?”

Charlotte shook her head and pulled her feet up onto the chair with her. “It’s just funny,” she decided. “Have you guys always done that?”

Darcy looked up from logging into her computer and frowned in thought. “I guess so,” she said. “I think it was a Raina thing.”

At the mention of Darcy’s mother, Charlotte smiled. “What was your food name?”

Darcy grinned back. “She used to call me Cherry Pie.”

Charlotte giggled. “That’s cute,” she concluded. “I’m okay with food names if it’s a Raina thing.”

By the time she’d situated the little girl in for a nap under a blanket of coats and returned to the prep space, the music had changed to a No Doubt song she hadn’t heard since high school and Darcy couldn’t help but agree that Alysha had made an excellent choice in music that day.

 

***

With adequate rest, Charlotte was a fun addition to the Saturday crew and spent most of the morning glued to Alysha’s side, learning the ins and outs of flourless cakes and almond batters.

The morning rush had subsided predictably by eleven and Darcy overheard Jamie and Megan splitting up closing duties when Alysha raised her head from supervising Charlotte’s measuring with a look of concern. “Did we get paid yesterday?”

“Yeah,” Mina answered before Darcy could reply. “Mine was in my account this morning.”

Darcy smirked. “You forget to pay your rent again, Leash?”

“Surprisingly, no,” Alysha said proudly before her smile fell to a grimace. “But I was pretty sure that I had like, $467 in my bank account and then I checked it and I actually had $43,” she bounced her shoulders carelessly, “So I bought a $28 bottle of clarifying shampoo and I just wanted to make sure I’d be back in the black sooner rather than later because like, I was pretty broke before, but now I’m super, extra broke.”

Darcy snorted and shook her head as she mentally took stock of what would be left over when they closed in an hour. “That’s my girl,” she muttered.

“Remember this, kiddo,” Alysha continued with a grin down at Charlotte. “Your Aunt Alysha is amazing at a lot of things. Money is not one of them.”

Charlotte grinned back. “That’s okay,” she assured her. “I’m really good with money,” she said before she frowned thoughtfully. “But Uncle Bucky says that’s ‘cause Daddy doesn’t charge me rent.”

Darcy laughed and wandered back out front to help a handful of indecisive customers. She had just finished boxing up the last peach cheesecake for a heavily pregnant woman who looked like she was planning on eating the whole thing herself when she heard it. The familiar whirl of the blender stopped abruptly around a sharp yelp of pain and the kitchen was deadly quiet for a long second before she heard Alysha’s voice again. “Oh shit.”

With a look of concern, Megan jumped over to the register to finish the transaction, so Darcy could dash to the back. Her eyes widened at the sight of Charlotte’s hands clasped together over the counter, dripping with blood, her lips mashed, and her face contorted with pain. Alysha appeared again with a handful of towels and pressed them to Charlotte’s hands before she glanced up at Darcy in a panic. “I don’t know what happened, Darce. I’m so sorry. I swear was watching her, but I only looked away for a second and I think the immersion blender must have slipped?”

Eyes squeezed shut, Charlotte let out a heartbreaking whimper and nodded. “I went grab it from the batter,” she said in a small, scared little voice as Alysha applied pressure to her hands. “I’m sorry, Darcy,” she sniffled. “I didn’t think—”

Her apology jolted Darcy out of her shocked horror. She shook her head and unglued her feet from the floor to assess the damage herself. “No, no, honey, this is an accident,” she covered Alysha’s hands and motioned with her chin for the younger woman to step aside. The blood had already soaked through the second towel and Darcy felt her stomach churn unexpectedly. A prickle of sweat broke out on the back of her neck and her mouth ran dry as she tried to summon the courage to see exactly how deep the blender’s teeth had cut into Charlotte’s little hands. “They tend to happen when you work in a kitchen.”

“Mina,” Alysha called, an edge of panic in her voice. “Can you come look at this please?”

Darcy tried to hide her relief as Mina swooped in and with the calm, focused energy of a mother of three accident-prone boys, gently pulled the towels away from Charlotte’s hands. Her relief was short-lived; it died as soon as Mina’s frown deepened and she looked up at Darcy. “This is really deep,” she said with concern. “She’s going to need stitches.”

Charlotte’s eyes shot open and she shook her head. “I don’t want stitches!” she exclaimed. “I hate hospitals! What if they have to chop my fingers off?”

“Are you sure?” Darcy asked, not wanting to admit that she hated hospitals too. “Isn’t there a chance it might stop on its own?”

Mina ignored them both and stood back up. She crossed the prep space and dug her keys from her purse before handing them to Alysha. “My car’s in the alley,” she said in a tone that didn’t leave room for argument. “I’ll clean up here and meet you guys once we’re closed.”

“Wait,” Alysha was still wide-eyed as she took the keys. “Where am I taking them? Shouldn’t we call an ambulance?”

“It’s just stitches, Leash,” Mina reminded calmly. “You could probably take her anywhere—but Children’s is right over on 10th. Go there—their emergency clinic is great.” She dropped back down to be at eye-level with Charlotte. “You’re going to be fine, sweetpea,” she promised, smoothing back Charlotte’s bangs to hold her face with both hands. “They’ll fix you right up.”

“But what if they chop my fingers off?” Charlotte asked again without a drop of humor.

Mina smothered a smile between her thin lips and drew an X over her heart. “I promise that if you didn’t chop your fingers off with that blender, then they won’t chop your fingers off trying to put you back together. Okay?”

Darcy sat in the back of Mina’s SUV with Charlotte, whose hands were wrapped in fresh towels that mercifully seemed to be slowing the flow of blood. She dug for her phone as Alysha pulled out into traffic.

Charlotte looked up and swallowed hard. “Are you calling Daddy?”

Darcy nodded and held the phone to her ear as the call connected.

“Do you think he’s going to be mad?”

Darcy squeezed Charlotte tighter to her side and kissed the top of her head. “Not at you, Peanut.” She groaned as her call went to voicemail and cleared her throat before she left a message. “Hey, Steve, it’s me. I have seriously wounded your child. She’s fine,” she added hastily, “she cut her fingers at the bakery and I’m taking her to Children’s Hospital to get stitches where, I assume, they’ll ask for a bunch of things I don’t have like her social security number and your health insurance information.” She sighed, keeping her tone as light as possible. “So, if you could call me back when you get this, I’d be extra grateful.”

Steve called back just as they were pulling into the drop-off bay of the hospital. “You’re sure she’s okay?” he asked immediately, the worry in his voice twisted Darcy’s stomach hard with guilt.

“Well it’s a pretty deep couple of cuts,” she said, keeping her arm wrapped tightly around Charlotte’s shoulders while Alysha drove off to find a place to park. “But she’s been a total champ,” she added, grateful when Charlotte shot her a scrappy, stubborn smile. “Not a single tear.”

She heard Steve relax a fraction. “That’s my girl,” he said. “Can I talk to her?”

Darcy held the phone to Charlotte’s ear while they made it through the two sets of glass doors. “Hi Daddy,” Charlotte said, tilting her head to hold the phone. “I’m okay,” she paused. “It hurts a lot and there’s a lot of blood.” She paused again. “Like, a lot of blood. It was gruesome. But Mina said they won’t have to chop my fingers and Darcy and Alysha are taking good care of me.” She stole another quick glance up at Darcy before she added. “Don’t be mad at them, Daddy. It was just an accident.” Whatever he said next seemed to relax her because she smiled again. “I love you too. Here’s Darcy back.”

They managed to get Charlotte checked in with Darcy handing her phone to the admitting nurse so Steve could deliver all of the pertinent information and get his daughter brought back to be stitched back together by the first available nurse. He promised to send Sam over to drop off the physical copy of Charlotte’s health insurance card as soon as they ended their call and added that he was getting on the next train back to Brooklyn and would be home as soon as he could.

The stitching itself didn’t take very long. She needed six on two fingers of her left hand and three on the ring finger of her right hand. Her uneven teeth sank deep into her bottom lip and she whimpered again when they removed the towels to assess the damage. Darcy felt like she was going to be sick again at the sight of Charlotte covered in so much blood.

“Don’t worry, Mama,” the nurse said with an easy smile as he flipped his black hair out of his eyes. “It looks a lot worse than it actually is.”

She opened her mouth to correct him but decided against it when his needle slid into Charlotte’s skin and she turned her scrunched up face into Darcy’s side to hide. No need to get into the technicalities of their relationship with a total stranger, she reminded herself. She focused her attention on Charlotte instead. “So what kind of ice cream are we getting on the way home, little miss?”

She felt Charlotte smile against her. “Chocolate raspberry gelato.”

The nurse laughed as he closed the first wound. “Sounds like somebody’s thought about this.”

Darcy bent and kissed Charlotte’s blonde hair again. “Chocolate raspberry gelato it is.”

Alysha was in the waiting room, head in hands, when they returned to wait for Sam and the insurance card. The nurse had administered Charlotte a painkiller before sending her on her way, warning that it would be fast-acting and make her a little woozy and most likely send her to bed early. Alysha’s curly hair fell over her face as Darcy dropped onto the couch beside her and Charlotte stretched out on the rest of the couch with her hands bandaged like mittens.

She looked up with a smile and caught Charlotte’s eye. “Looks like you’re really one of us now, Sugarpop. Got the bakery battle scars to prove it.”

Despite her pain medication and her bandages, Charlotte smiled. “I am?”

Alysha nodded and held out her phone. “While I was waiting for you, I asked everyone to send me pictures of their Queen of Tarts scars, so you could see the kind of club you’re in.” She leaned over Darcy and swiped her thumb across her screen, so Charlotte could look with delight on pictures of scarred-over burns from steaming wands, deep slices on fingertips and a grid of blisters on a forearm from reaching too far into an oven without the right mitts. “Pretty gross, huh?”

Charlotte nodded and yawned suddenly, blinking rapidly. “Pretty gross,” she agreed before she glanced back over at Alysha. “Can I really call you that?”

Alysha frowned. “Call me what?”

“Aunt Alysha,” she reminded around another yawn. “You said it at the shop and I didn’t know if you meant it.”

Darcy waited for Alysha to flounder for words or look to her for some indication as to whether this level of attachment was something to encourage, but she only scoffed out a laugh and held out a fist for Charlotte to tap her mitts against. “You’re my girl, Charlotte,” she reminded, as if it were obvious. “And I just said, you’re totally one of us now whether you like it or not, so you call me whatever the heck is in your heart to call me.”

“Okay,” Charlotte said, rolling to her back, her head pillowed on Darcy’s thigh. “I will,” she stated before her eyes finally drifted all the way shut and she sank quickly into sleep.

Darcy let out a heavy sigh and let her head drop back against the wall. “What a shit-show of a day,” she said under her breath.

Alysha glanced over, a line of concern folded between her eyebrows. “She lived,” she reminded. “We all survived. I don’t think you’re going to fire me—”

“I’m not going to fire you,” she stated, still staring at the popcorn ceiling.

“Then we all came through this relatively unscathed,” she continued, a little too cheerfully for the knot of dread Darcy was still carrying in her gut. “Come on, Darce,” she added after studying her boss for another long minute. “How many times did you get hurt at the shop when you were a kid? Or a teenager? Or an adult? Didn’t you burn the shit out of your shin like, three weeks ago walking into an open oven door?” She paused and frowned. “And I mean, didn’t Raina catch her hair on fire one time?”

“She caught Selma’s hair on fire,” Darcy corrected without missing a beat. “And it’s not the same when it’s me who’s getting hurt,” she added quietly. Her hand drifted over Charlotte’s soft, thick hair.

Alysha’s phone vibrated in her hand. “Mina’s here for her car,” she said with a twinge of regret. “Do you want me to stay and wait with you guys?”

Darcy shook her head and finally looked away from the ceiling. “No, you’ve done plenty,” she insisted. “Sam will be here soon, I’m sure he’ll give us a ride home. Thanks,” she added when her companion stood up. “For cheering her up with everyone’s pictures.”

Alysha grinned and bent down to kiss Darcy’s forehead in a surprisingly sisterly gesture. Her bushy curls brushed Darcy’s face. “Don’t beat yourself up too hard,” she said softly. “We all survived, remember?”

Darcy offered a weak smile. “I’ll see you Tuesday, sweetie.”

Alysha took a step back and offered a pair of finger guns. “You know it—bright eyed and bushy—whoa!” She cut herself off as she backed up directly into Sam.

“Hey, sorry,” he apologized when she turned around. “I didn’t realize you were in motion.”

Darcy watched with curiosity as a faint blush crept up Alysha’s neck and onto her cheeks. “Uh, yeah,” she said, her words drawn out a little longer than necessary. “Sorry.”

Sam smiled uncertainly and glanced from Alysha to Darcy and back again. “And you are…”

“That’s Alysha,” Darcy supplied helpfully while her barista blinked and seemed to remember her own name.

“Alysha Morris,” she said after another pause. “I’m the irresponsible employee who contributed to Charlotte’s injuries.”

Sam nodded, almost looking impressed, if not amused. “Sam Wilson,” he countered.

“Charlotte’s extra responsible uncle who is saving the day and me from paying out-of-pocket for this little ER excursion,” Darcy added, equally amused when Alysha tilted her head to one side and held out a hand.

“I don’t know how we’ve never met before, Sam Wilson,” she said, a new flirtatious sparkle in her voice.

“Neither do I,” Sam agreed, shaking the hand she’d offered. “But that seems like a damn shame.”

“I was just thinking the same thing!” Alysha exclaimed before her phone vibrated again and she grimaced. “Aaaaand I gotta go.” She glanced back at Darcy. “I love you, boss-lady. I’ll see you on Tuesday.” She looked back at Sam. “Don’t be a stranger.”

“It was nice meeting you,” Sam said with another smile before he turned his attention back to Darcy.

With his back to her, he couldn’t see the way Alysha stopped ten feet behind him and let her jaw drop comically before she pointed to him and mouthed SO CUTE!

Darcy rolled her eyes and smiled. “Thanks for coming down,” she said when Alysha was safely out the door. “You’re a genuine lifesaver.”

Sam visited with the admitting nurse and set Charlotte’s medical records, insurance and billing to rights in only a few minutes before he returned to Darcy’s side and sat in the seat Alysha had just occupied. “You okay?”

Darcy glanced up from where she’d been hypnotizing herself by petting Charlotte’s hair. “Sure,” she said without feeling.

Sam watched her for a long second before he cleared his throat. “I know Steve told you that Barnes and I…spent a lot of time watching Charlie after Peggy died.”

“Yeah,” she nodded. “When you all lived together.”

“Right,” he mirrored her nod before he continued. “So this one day—Charlie must’ve been eleven months old, maybe a little less—I was bringing her in from the car and I slipped on some ice and we both fell and she banged her head on the sidewalk.” Darcy grimaced. “Right? Felt like the worst uncle in the world. So, I took her to the doctor and he gave her a quick check-up, made sure she didn’t have anything worse than a big goose egg on her little head and sent us home.” Sam paused to make sure his audience was still with him.

She was.

“But she has this big bump, right? Right on the top of her head like a cartoon character. And obviously, the worst part of all this is listening to Barnes tell me how she’s never gotten hurt when he’s with her and give me a bunch of shit for letting her hit the ground at all. And I didn’t want to deal with that, so I put a hat on her before he got home.”

Darcy blinked. “A hat?”

He nodded. “A little beanie—it was cute, but she hated it and naturally she pulled it off right as Barnes and Steve walked in.”

Darcy bit back a sympathetic smile. “Did they give you shit?”

“Steve didn’t,” Sam insisted. “He wasn’t too happy, but Barnes was a nightmare. Reading me the riot act like I did this on purpose, telling me we need to take her to the hospital because she’s probably going to be developmentally challenged because of this—on and on until mercifully, my phone rings.”

She frowned. “Kind of an overreaction, wasn’t it?”

“My thoughts exactly,” he agreed with a half-smile. “But I answer it—it’s the pediatrician checking in on Charlie’s symptoms and telling me he thinks she’s going to be fine and then he goes, if you want, you can give her a few drops of the ibuprofen I sent home with Mr. Barnes last month.” He caught Darcy’s grin. “Yeah,” he nodded. “This human dumpster is making me feel lower than pond scum and meanwhile, he was on duty when she pitched herself off the back of the couch and was trying to cover it up.” He shook his head. “It’s a wonder that kid can even tie her shoes.”

Darcy offered a weak laugh and sighed. “Are you trying to make me feel better?”

Sam hooked her with a serious look beyond his smile. “I’m trying to delicately break the news to you that kids are breakable—and they’re also incredibly resilient. And the more you love one, the more you start seeing all the ways the world can hurt them and all the ways you can’t protect them.”

She pursed her lips and swiped a hand over her face. “I completely froze,” she admitted. “I was so totally useless. If Mina and Alysha hadn’t been there…or if it had been any worse…” she shook her head. “I’m not usually like that—I deal with cuts and burns and all kinds of injuries all the time.”

Sam gave her knee a friendly pat. “If you’re looking for a guilt trip, you’re not going to get one from me. And I’m pretty sure you’re not going to get one from Steve either,” he added before she could voice her other concern. “If anything, he’s going to spend his whole trip back from Philly beating himself up that he wasn’t here for both of you.”

She sighed and tipped her head back again. “Jesus, what a crew we are.”

Sam smiled again. “Not to get all Lifetime on you, but isn’t that what a family is? A bunch of idiots who don’t know what they’re doing, taking turns screwing up and showing up for each other?”

Darcy smiled back. “That was super Lifetime,” she informed him. “But also pretty sweet.”

“Come on,” he swatted her leg again. “Let’s get out of here—I hate hospitals.” Charlotte woke up as he scooped her easily into his arms. “How you feeling, Mostly Mittens?”

“My head feels funny,” she muttered sleepily while she wound her arms around his neck. “And I want gelato.”

“We can stop on the way home,” Darcy promised while Sam led the way out the ER doors. She was digging in her purse for her phone again when she walked directly into him, unaware that he’d stopped dead on the sidewalk. “What’s going—” she stepped out from behind him and felt her eyes go wide in surprise. “Oh.”

“Uncle Bucky?” Charlotte asked, blinking herself fully awake. “Auntie Nat?”

The pair in question—who’d been locked in a kiss and unaware of their audience—broke apart like a pair of guilty teenagers. Natasha seemed particularly mortified and covered her mouth with a hand while her cheeks burned bright red.

Bucky coughed and looked from Natasha to Charlotte to Sam and Darcy and back again in a quick rotation before he scuffed his shoes and crossed his arms over his chest. “Uh.”

“Hi,” Natasha said finally, gathering herself enough to get the word out.

“Yeah,” Bucky coughed again. “Hi. You guys. What are you doing here?”

“Oh, my God. Are you okay?” Natasha’s expression dropped into one of concern as she crossed the few feet between them to study Charlotte’s bandages. “What happened to your hands?”

“I cut them at the bakery,” Charlotte said, indicating that her wounds and stitches had just fallen swiftly on the list of things she was going to remember about that day. “You and Uncle Bucky were kissing,” she stated next, no longer any sign of drowsiness in her voice. “Is he your boyfriend? Do you like each other now?”

“Charlotte,” Darcy warned lightly. “It’s not really any of our business.”

“The hell it’s not,” Sam argued. “What is going on? Last I checked you two hated each other.”

“We never hated each other,” Natasha said as Bucky muttered, “It’s kind of a long story.”

Charlotte glanced between the two of them and narrowed her eyes. “How long have you two been kissing each other?”

There was a long pause as Nat and Bucky exchanged guilty looks. “A while,” Bucky admitted.

“Does Daddy know?”

“No,” they said in unison before Nat added, “No one knows.”

“Until now, I guess,” Bucky grumbled.

Charlotte’s eyes twinkled. “Can I tell him?”

“Charlotte…” Darcy said again.

“What? I had a tough day!” she exclaimed. “This is happy news!” she looked back at her aunt and uncle. “Please can I tell him? Please? He won’t believe me.”

The couple shared another look and a sigh in unison. “Sure,” Natasha said. “Go for it.”

There was another exchange of uncertain glances and some antsy shuffling of feet before Darcy cleared her throat and let herself really smile for the first time in hours. “You guys all wanna come over for dinner next Sunday?” she asked, breaking the silence. “Since now we all have something to talk about?”

“Sure,” Natasha said immediately.

“Sounds good,” added Bucky.

“I just want this moment to be over,” Sam stated.

“Hard same,” Darcy agreed cheerfully, relieved that her suggestion was just enough to diffuse some of the tension.

“I don’t,” Charlotte said indignantly.” This is fun!”

“Let’s get you two home,” Sam said, glancing between the beaming little girl in his arms and Darcy again before he looked back at Nat. “You’re too good for him,” he informed her seriously and turned his attention to Bucky. “And you—”

“Eat a dick, Wilson,”

“Language!” Charlotte chastised with a gasp.

“You didn’t yell at him,” Bucky insisted with all of the composure of a five-year-old as he pointed to Sam. “He just swore too.”

“Uh, Uncle Sam didn’t keep a big happy secret from me,” Charlotte reminded sassily. “And his swear was only a Level One.”

“Enough!” Natasha exclaimed, holding her hands up. “I have to get back to work.” She ducked in to kiss Charlotte’s cheek and had scurried back inside before anyone could offer her another word.

“She’s way too good for you,” Sam repeated his earlier assessment.

“I’m thinking of a Level Five swear for you right now, Wilson,” Bucky said. “Level Five.”

“As entertaining as this is,” Darcy interrupted, “we should really get the patient her gelato and get her home.”

Bucky shook away his Sam-related aggression and approached Charlotte to gently hold her bandaged hands. “I’m going to come see you tomorrow, okay?” he promised with a half-smile. “I want you to tell me all about what happened.”

She nodded and stretched out to kiss him goodbye. “I love you,” she said sweetly. “And I’m really glad about you and Auntie Nat.”

If she didn’t know better, Darcy would have sworn that Bucky blushed. “Thanks, Bear,” he muttered and ruffled her hair before she sank back against Sam.

 

***

 

They were curled up together on the couch, watching Moana when Steve’s keys turned in the door. He rushed in, bringing a gust of sticky, dense New York summer with him and dropped immediately in front of Charlotte to examine her injuries.

“How’re you doing, baby?” he asked gently, turning her hands over in his, deep lines of concern on his face. “Although, it sounds like I can’t call you that anymore,” he added with a soft smile. “Since you’re some kind of hardcore warrior who can get five stitches and not cry once.”

Despite the softness in his voice and his eyes, Darcy couldn’t help but feel the knot in her stomach twist tighter. There was no way he wasn’t at least a little bit angry at how the day had turned out.

She shook her head, smiling proudly. “I got nine stitches, Dad. Not five. And it really hurt. And there was blood everywhere.”

He nodded still impressed and glanced over at Darcy. “Sounds gruesome,” he said, repeating her sentiment from earlier. “Sorry I missed it.”

“It’s okay,” she shrugged. “Darcy took good care of me.”

“I’m sure she did,” he said with another smile before he got to his feet and leaned over to give Darcy a kiss.

She accepted with a blink of surprise and leaned subtly against Steve’s hand when he pushed her hair back behind her ears. “I’m glad you’re home,” she said softly.

“Me too,” he agreed and tapped his forehead to hers before he stood and announced he was going to change his clothes.

Charlotte was owed a second dose of her pain medication by the time Steve returned in more comfortable clothes. She swallowed two spoonful’s dutifully and only pulled a face of disgust after the second taste. “Daddy,” she opened her eyes wide as Steve sat down next to Darcy and draped his arm over the back of the couch. “Before I get sleepy again, I have to tell you something.”

Steve peered across Darcy and raised his eyebrows. “Hit me, tough girl.”

She smiled at her nickname and turned herself around to face them both. “Guess who’s in love?”

Her father frowned and glanced at Darcy for help. She smiled softly and shook her head. “Uh…me?”

Charlotte rolled her eyes. “Not just you. Guess again.”

Steve laughed. “I don’t know, honey. This city has nine million people in it. Help me out.”

“Uncle Bucky and Auntie Nat!”

His amusement fell quickly from his face. “No…I’m pretty sure they’re not,” he said carefully.

Charlotte shook her head, eyes wide and serious. “We saw them!” she exclaimed. “Outside the hospital. Auntie Nat was going to back to work and Uncle Bucky was with her and they were kissing! Like, boyfried-girlfriend kissing and then Uncle Bucky said they’ve been kissing each other for a while and I can’t believe he didn’t tell me! But he’s going to come over tomorrow so you need to make him feel bad about not telling you, too because families shouldn’t keep secrets from each other,” she continued in a rush. “Especially good secrets like being in love when everyone thought you hated each other. Don’t you think?”

Steve waited an extra beat to make sure her verbal explosion had finished before he answered, a croak of uncertainty preceeding his words. “Uh. Well. I guess…” he paused and frowned in thought. “I think…” he tilted his head, trying to remember something. “Huh.” He said after a moment. “You know what? He did try to tell me about him and Nat,” he admitted.

Charlotte looked betrayed a second time. “What?! And you didn’t tell me?”

Steve laughed and looked embarrassed. “I thought he was joking,” he confessed. “I thought they hated each other, just like everyone else.”

Charlotte shook her head and looked just a little smug. “Well they don’t,” she said simply and scooched back down again to cuddle into Darcy’s side and rest her head on her hip. “They’re in love. I can tell.”

Darcy chuckled and ran her fingers through Charlotte’s hair again. “I think that might be enough gossip for one day,” she suggested softly. “I’m sure Bucky’ll let you tease him all you want about it tomorrow when he comes over.”

“You’re right,” Charlotte agreed, her burst of meddlesome energy gone as quickly as it had come. Already Darcy could feel her getting heavier against her side and feel all the normal fidgeting she did when she was trying to get comfortable enough to sleep. “If I don’t fall asleep,” she said, clearly suppressing a yawn, “can we watch Polar Express?”

“Charlotte,” Steve glanced over at the top of his daughter’s head with an exasperated laugh. “It’s August.”

“So?” she asked, snuggling closer to Darcy. “It’s still my favorite.”

He sighed and rolled his eyes affectionately. “Sure,” he agreed with a shrug. “If you stay awake past the end of this one,” he motioned to the television with his chin. “Then we can watch whatever you want next.”

“Deal,” she muttered softly, her eyes already falling closed.

They watched the end of Moana in silence, while the sounds of Charlotte’s deep breathing filled the room. Darcy felt herself zoning out as the credits began to roll, trying not to think about how much blood had soaked into those towels at the shop and how hard Charlotte had bit her lip trying to be brave.

The brush of Steve’s thumb against the top of her shoulder jolted her back with a jump. “Hey,” he said, pulling her attention over to him. “You okay?”

She considered the question and swallowed hard. “Steve, I’m so sorry about today,” she said, keeping her voice low. “I shouldn’t have even let her work with Alysha, let alone try to run an immersion blender by herself. Next time you have to go out of town, I’ll just take the day off or find a sitter,” she added in a rush. “I completely understand if you don’t want her at the bakery anymore—”

Steve’s expression had twisted into one of confusion. “What? Why would I want that?” he asked, looking genuinely bewildered before he smiled again. “Darcy, it was an accident. It could have just as easily happened at home if I was here standing over her. I mean,” he tilted his head in consideration, “if you’d told her to suck it up and let her bleed out into the cookie dough, I guess I’d be pretty pissed—” Darcy huffed out a short laugh and rolled her eyes as Steve continued. “But that’s clearly not what happened.” His other hand came up to hold her face. “Please don’t think this means I don’t trust you with her.”

Darcy let out a deep breath and dropped her head to lean against his chin. “I just didn’t expect to be so freaked out,” she admitted and felt him kiss her forehead. “I mean, obviously, I’m always trying to make sure she’s as safe as possible because I’d never want anything to happen to her. And in the back of my mind,” she continued, finding it was easier to say these words to the collar of his shirt as opposed to his face, “it’s been because she’s your girl and she’s your entire world and I take you letting me into your life—and into her life—pretty seriously.” She inhaled deeply again and forced herself to put into words the feeling that had been sitting in the back of her throat all afternoon. She looked up and pushed back her hair. “But then today, I realized that I don’t ever want anything to happen to her because she’s…”

Steve smiled softly. “Because she’s your girl, too,” he finished for her.

Darcy swallowed and nodded. “Yeah.”

“Kinda scary, huh?”

She mirrored his smile and let out a breathless laugh. “It’s really scary.”

He leaned in and kissed her and Darcy felt the last bit of tension and terror from the day slipping further away. “You get used to it,” he assured her when he pulled away. “Doesn’t get less scary,” he clarified. “But you get used to it.”

Darcy nodded again and repositioned herself to cuddle into his chest, forcing him into the corner of the couch. After checking to make sure that Charlotte was really, truly asleep, Steve turned the Netflix to one of the black and white films he’d short-listed and Darcy felt herself getting drowsy as soon as the MGM lion roared.

“So Buck and Natasha, huh?” he asked after a few moments of comfortable silence.

“Apparently,” Darcy mused, not looking up from where she’d laid her head against his heart.

“Big day,” he decided after another minute’s contemplation. “Guess that’ll teach me to go out of town for work.”

Darcy nodded and smiled sleepily, not fighting when her eyes began to drift closed.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Charlotte's baby injuries are apparently from my own babyhood when my mother and grandmother both tried to hide the fact that they'd dropped me on my head.
> 
> And Alysha's dialogue all comes from the source herself. :) 
> 
> Let me hear your thoughts? I love you guys.


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